Celebrate America with “America’s Heart and Soul”

Posted on July 3, 2012 at 3:43 pm

If you want to watch a movie that will remind you of what we love most about the wonderful country we celebrate this week, try America’s Heart and Soul. If Norman Rockwell made a movie, this would be it. If “America the Beautiful” was a movie, this would be it. If America had a home move, this would be it. And if we ever needed a reminder of of what can be proud of, what we aspire to, what we stand for — this is it. Plus, it is a lot of fun and that rare treat, a movie for the whole family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_mObBtTv7Q

EW’s 50 Must-See Movies You’ve Never Heard Of

Posted on July 1, 2012 at 4:11 pm

I love Entertainment Weekly‘s lists of under-appreciated films and the current issue’s list includes some of my favorites, the movies I am constantly begging people to try. It is a great chance to see some wonderful films, and in may you will also have the pleasure of seeing some of today’s most accomplished performers in their early years.Some I was especially excited to see included:

Happy Accidents Marisa Tomei has not had much luck with guys, until this new man (Vincent D’Onofrio), who seems great except for this one small problem — he says he is from the future.

Next Stop Wonderland Like “Happy Accidents,” directed by Brad Anderson, this one stars a radiant Hope Davis. We know long before she does that she is destined to fall in love with a man she won’t meet until the very end of the film.

Backbeat Once upon a time, five boys from Liverpool left England to play at a club in Germany. This is the story of the earliest days of the Beatles, from the perspective of Stu Sutcliffe, an integral part of the beginning of the group (though he was more interested in art than music).

The Daytrippers Hope Davis plays a woman who discovers that her husband (Stanley Tucci) may be unfaithful. So she and her whole family get into her parents’ car to drive to his office and find out. Co-starring Parker Posey, Liev Schreiber, and Anne Meara, with a small gem of a very brief performance by Marcia Gay Harden.

Fly Away Home Before she was hanging out with vampires in “True Blood” and speaking with an American accent, Anna Paquin starred in this exquisite fact-based film about a girl who is adopted by a flock of baby geese and has to teach them to fly to safety.

The Iron Giant Before he made “The Incredibles” and “Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol” director Brad Bird made this marvelous animated film about a boy who befriends a robot.

Love and Basketball About eighty percent love and twenty percent basketball, this is a romance about two basketball-loving kids (Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps) who go one-on-one in both games for almost twenty years before they get it right.

Contest: Scholastic’s “Chicken Little & More Zany Animal Stories”

Posted on June 24, 2012 at 8:05 am

I’m thrilled to have two copies of Chicken Little & More Zany Animal Stories to give away. Scholastic’s wonderful series always has the best in children’s literature, gently animated and beautifully read. This latest in the series includes:

CHICKEN LITTLE (Written and illustrated by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley, narrated by Walter Mayes) A bold and colorful retelling of a classic tale! Children will delight as a crazy-eyed chicken and all his panicked friends try to run away from a falling sky.

THE GREAT WHITE MAN-EATING SHARK (Written by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jonathan Allen) Norvin, a boy who closely resembles a shark, uses his talents to scare away all the swimmers at Caramel Cove except for the one female shark in love. Help!

THE THREE-LEGGED CAT (Written by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jonathan Allen) Mrs. Gimble’s peg-leg cat, Tom, is taken for a hat and a ride atop her rascally roving brother’s bald head in this hilarious tale of mistaken identity.

DOOBY DOOBY MOO (Written by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin, narrated by Randy Travis) While Farmer Brown tries to figure out what the animals are up to, Duck is determined to enter the talent show contest and win!

To enter: Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with Chicken Little in the subject line and tell me about your favorite hat (I hope it wasn’t a three-legged cat!). Don’t forget your address! (US addresses only.) I will pick a winner on July 1, 2012. Good luck!

List: Scottish Movies and Actors

Posted on June 19, 2012 at 3:59 pm

In honor of Pixar’s “Brave,” this week’s release about a Scottish princess, here are some of my favorite films about Scots and Scotland and some of my favorite Scottish performers.

1. Brigadoon Lerner and Lowe’s first musical is the fanciful story of two Americans visiting Scotland who discover a magical town that appears just once every hundred years. Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, and Van Johnson star and the songs include, “The Heather on the Hill,” “I’ll Go Home to Bonnie Jean,” and “Almost Like Being in Love.”

2. Gregory’s Girl This story of an awkward high school boy with a crush on the girl who replaces him on the soccer team is a romantic comedy filled with winning moments.

3. Local Hero An ambitious American executive is dispatched to Scotland to buy land for an oil refinery but is soon beguiled by the charm of the community he is supposed to displace.

4. The 39 Steps Alfred Hitchcock directed this stylish thriller based on the book by John Buchan. Robert Donat plays a man swept up in a chase through Scotland to protect vital military secrets from falling into the hands of a spy ring.

5. Braveheart Mel Gibson was director and star of this Best Picture Oscar winner about William Wallace, who led a rebellion against the British in the 13th century.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBXBtORI7pE

6. I Know Where I’m Going! A determined English woman gets waylaid in the Hebrides on her way to marry a wealthy man in this classic film starring Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesey.

Performers:

Ewan McGregor: Obi-Wan Kenobi in the second “Star Wars” trilogy and a heroin addict in “Trainspotters.”

Alan Cummings: He played opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in “Emma” and now appears on “The Good Wife.”

Billy Connelly: You can hear him as the king in “Brave” and see him as Queen Victoria’s cherished friend in “Mrs. Brown”

Tilda Swinton: An Oscar-winner for “Michael Clayton,” this striking actress was the villain in the first “Narnia” film and the androgynous title character in “Orlando.”

John Hannah: He appeared in “The Mummy” and unforgettably recited W.H. Auden in “Four Weddings and a Funeral”

Craig Ferguson: The late night host was voice talent in “How to Train Your Dragon” and co-wrote and starred in a very funny film about a hairdressing competition called “The Big Tease.”

Gerard Butler: He was the title character behind a mask in “Phantom of the Opera” and fought with a sword in “300.”

James McAvoy: He played the young Dr. X in “X-Men First Class” and provided voices in “Arthur Christmas” and “Gnomeo & Juliet.”

Sean Connery: He’s the first — and many think still the best — James Bond and won an Oscar for “The Untouchables.”

Kelly McDonald: She’s in “Boardwalk Empire” and appeared in “Gosford Park” and “No Country for Old Men.” And she provides the voice for “Brave’s” heroine, Merrida.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O88tBPpSW4

Special mention:

The BBC series Monarch of the Glen is an engaging story based on Sir Compton Mackenzie’s Highland Novels about a son who returns home and gradually learns to appreciate his heritage.

Coming Soon: American Girls’ “McKenna: Shoots for the Stars”

Posted on June 11, 2012 at 3:59 pm

Here’s an early sneak peek at a wonderful new DVD, based on the American Girls series about McKenna, the young gymnast, and the American Girls “Girl of the Year.”